Automatic marker placement device



Jan. l1, 1966 N. PINTO 3,228,555

AUTOMATIC MARKER PLACEMENT DEVICE Filed Oct. l0, 1963 United States Patent Olilice 3,228,555 Patented Jan. 11, 1966 3,228,555 AUTOMATIC MARKER PLACEMENT DEVICE Nickolas Pinto, 1835 Avenue B, Schenectady, N.Y. Filed Oct. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 315,201 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-199) This invention relates to an automatic marker placement device and, more particularly, to lan automatic marker placement device by which markers may be placed in a desired spot on a playing board or card during the play of the game and may be quickly and easily retrieved from the board at the end of the game.

In many types of games, such as bingo and the like, it is required that a marker be placed on the playing board or card during the play of the game, In these types of games the marker is placed over a number or the like when such number is called by the person in charge of the game. As is well known, in these types of games, numerous markers are placed on the board during the play of any one game. Usually in the course of an evening a great number of games are played. This requires that the markers used be placed on the board or card during the play of the game and then removed from the board at the end of one game and made ready for the next game.

The placement, retrieval and reuse of markers from one game to the next is generally laborious and time consuming. Further, as is well known, in these types of games most of the participants will be playing a number of boards or cards. In these instances it is even more laborious to place and retrieve the markers from one game to the next. Also, when playing a large number of cards or boards, the concentration required to be sure one is correctly playing all of the cards or boards properly makes it diiicult to search around for a marker when it is needed. Thus it can be seen that in games such Ias bingo and the like there is a need for an automatic device which will easily deposit a marker on a board or card at the desired spot. Further it is obviously desirable that such device be readily held in the hand of the player, and be capable of retrieving the markers from the board at the end of the game.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an automatic device for dispensing markers and retrieving them from a playing board or card.

It is `a further object of this invention to provide an automatic marker dispenser which is readily held in the hand of a person,

A still further object of this invention is to provide an automatic marker dispenser which may be manipulated lby a player to retrieve the markers from the playing board.

In carrying out this invention in one form, an automatic marker dispenser is provided having means to retain a number of markers on such dispenser, the means being releasable to allow the markers to be displaced from the dispenser yas desired. The dispenser is further provided with means to retrieve the markers and again place them on the dispenser for later removal.

The features of this invention which are believed to be novel will be pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. However, the details of this invention, both as to its assembly and operation, together with the manner in which the above mentioned objects, as well as other objects and advantages are obtained, will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, with the markers shown in phantom;

FIGURE 3 is a plane view of the invention in use, partly in section to more clearly show the details thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a partial View, similar to FIGURE 3, showing the invention in raised position; and

FIGURE 5 is a partial view of the invention showing the retrieving action of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, in which like numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various views, and with particular reference to FIGURE 1, this invention is shown in one form as a marker dispenser device 10, comprised of a body 12 having a series of markers 14 releasably retained thereon. Releasable retaining mean-s 16 are provided on the body 12, such that the markers 14 maybe released as desired by the operator of the dispenser 10. The marker dispenser device 10 is further provided with a retrieving means 18 at the opposite end of the body 12 from the releasable retaining means 16. In order that the retrieved markers will remain on the body 12 and not become displaced during the handling of the dispenser 10, a second releasable retaining means 20 is provided on the body 12, in close proximity to the retrieving means 18. In this manner the markers 14 may be readily released from the body 12 as desired, and when finished with them, they may be quickly and easily retrieved and returned to the body 12.

Referring now to FIGURE 2 of the drawing for a more detailed description of the invention, the body 12, in the preferred embodiment, is shown in the form of a cylindrical tube, having a flat bottom portion 22, and a tapered upper portion 24. The releasable retaining means may :be in the form of a spring steel wire 16, coiled so as to snugly tit within the cylindrical body 12, with ends 16a and 16b protruding through unnumbered holes in the lower portion of the body 12, as shown. In a similar manner, the upper releasable retainer 20, may be spring steel with portions 20a and 20h protruding through holes in the upper portion of the body 12, as shown. The markers 14 may advantageously take the form of metallic washers having a central opening 26 therein, such that they snugly it about the cylindrical body 12. As indicated, the thickness of the markers 14 and the location of the retainer means 16 is such that only one marker will be dispensed, in the manner about to be discussed.

The operation of the dispenser 10 in placing a marker 14 on a surface is clearly shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. As shown, in FIGURE 3, the dispenser 10 is held in the hand of the operator with the at bottom portion 22 against the surface where it is desired to place a marker 14. The operator then presses downward on the stacked series of markers 14 with suicient force to push the lowermost marker past the lower retainer 16. The lower marker will then be free of the restraint of the retaining means 16. Then when the operator lifts the dispenser 10, the lower marker will remain on the surface, as shown in FIGURE 4. The releasable retaining means 16 will exert sufcient force against the sides of the next lower marker to prevent it from being released from the dispenser. In this manner the operator of the dispenser 10 may deposit a marker on a surface, one at a time, in a very eicient manner.

In order to retrieve the markers 14, when the operator is finished with them and replace them on the body 12, the retrieving means 18 is provided. This retrieving meas may be in the form of a cylindrical piece of magnetic material which fits within the tapered end 24 of the body 12, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 2. Inasmuch as the markers 14 .are formed of metallic material they may be readily retrieved lby means of the magnetic retriever 18. The manner in which the markers are retrieved is shown in FIGURE 5. The operator of the dispenser merely reverses the dispenser in his hand, places the tapered end 24, with the magnetic piece 18, within the central opening 26 of the marker 14. This marker will yadhere to the magnet and the dispenser Will then be pla-ced Within another marker. The markers will thus be picked up and forced over the retainer 20 at the tapered end 24 of the body 12 and repositioned for their next use.

While there has been shown and descn'bed the preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention hereinbefore set forth.

What is claimed as new and which it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic marker dispenser comprising an elongated body, a number of metallic markers adapted to be stacked on said body, releasable means on opposite end portions of said body for releasably retaining said markers on said :body and retrieving means on one end of said body, said retrieving means being a magnetic element mounted on said body, whereby said markers may be easily released from said body and readily retrieved and -repositioned on said body.

2. An automatic marker dispenser comprising an elongated body, a number of metallic markers adapted to be stacked on said body, a rst releasable means for releasably retaining said markers on said body, said releasable means being in the form of a steel spring wire coiled within said body and protruding through openings near one end of said body, and retrieving means, said retrieving means being in the form of a magnetic element mounted on the other end of said body opposite said first releasable means, and second releasable means in the form of a steel spring mounted in said body near said retrieving means, whereby said markers may be easily released from said body and readily retrieved and repositioned on said body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 107,343 9/1870 Dirnock 22l-92 930,935 g8/'1909 Burbank 221-212 3,073,482' l/l963 Winters 22l-312 LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner. 

1. AN AUTOMATIC MARKER DISPENSER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY, A NUMBER OF METALLIC MARKERS ADAPTED TO BE STACKED ON SAID BODY, RELEASABLE MEANS ON OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF SAID BODY FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID MARKERS ON SAID BODY AND RETRIEVING MEANS ON ONE END OF SAID BODY, SAID RETRIEVING MEANS BEING A MAGNETIC ELEMENT MOUNTED ON SAID BODY, WHEREBY SAID MARKERS MAY BE EASILY RELEASED FROM SAID BODY AND READILY RETRIEVED AND REPOSITIONED ON SAID BODY. 